I’m about to board a plane for London, where I currently live, thinking about things that go together in unlikely circumstances. My mother always says that when two things find each other that go together well, they should never be apart. True to her command, I live in London because that is where my heart is, but it is a VERY unlikely circumstance.

My mother would similarly advise that brie and avocado shouldn’t be apart. Whatever it takes, they must be together. Mild in flavor, richer than Richie Rich, they are two sides of the same buttery coin. Together they form this simple gooey mess that manages to feel light and fresh. Deceiving, but delicious, and I’ll take it.

Wrapping brie and avocado together in an eggroll blanket, and deep frying them, may appear to be an unlikely circumstance, but once you see the way the brie and the avocado melt into each other in the hot oil, in contrast to that crisp, crackling, salty eggroll shell, you’ll know I’m on to something. A touch of freshness comes from the lemon and parsley. The inside is steaming and hot and oozing and bright, and satisfying in a way that only a grilled cheese meeting guacamole can be. My mom was so right. Things that go together this well should never, ever be apart.

While the oil comes up to temperature, assemble the eggrolls. Divide the avocado, brie, and parsley among the 8 eggroll wrappers. Spritz the contents with fresh lemon juice and season with salt. Dip your finger in water, and dampen the eggs of the eggroll wrapper. Roll up the eggrolls, pinching to seal the edges.

Fry the eggrolls for 2 minutes, turning once. Drain on a paper towel, and season with salt. Eat hot.

Ribs. When I think about them, my eyes roll back, and my mouth starts to water. The way the meat falls off the bone; so sweet, so savory, so smoky. Few things are as simple but complex as the well-cooked rib.

So discovering that I can make ribs at home was a revelation. It’s a simple technique. Marinating, followed by a couple of hours covered in a low oven, and then just a few more minutes uncovered to get those burnt edges. And they are tender, and delicious, and you made them all yourself without so much as a barbecue.

Chipotles are the perfect secret ingredient in the ultimate rib barbecue sauce because they themselves are already smoky. So, if you love the smoky flavor of barbecue, but want to make ribs in your kitchen, this is the recipe for you. I make a simple barbecue sauce from ketchup, onions, garlic, chipotles, and the adobo sauce in which they are packed. When you first taste the sauce, it’ll seem far too hot. But after the ribs soak in it overnight, and once the sauce roasts and cooks down, it is only mildly hot, smoky, tangy, sticky. The meat falls off the bone. The edges are black and crisp. This recipe is a keeper.

Heat the oil on medium-high, and add the onion and garlic. Sauté until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, except the ribs, turn heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 25 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

Put the ribs and the sauce in a large plastic sealable bag, and refrigerate overnight.

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Arrange the ribs on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet, season with salt, and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 2 1/2 hours. Meanwhile, bring the barbecue sauce to a boil in a pot on the stove. Boil for 3 minutes, and set aside.

Uncover the ribs, turn them over, and bake an additional 30 minutes. Brush with barbecue sauce on both sides, and serve hot.

Sole Meunière is one of the giants of deliciousness in French cuisine. I think it’s the dish that Merrill Streep moons over rapturously in Julie and Julia. And for good reason. Thin, slightly crisped fillets of sole soaked in lemony brown butter. What could be better?

Maybe, just maybe, soft-shell crabs can. When I saw them at the store this week, and thought of how my mom always sautés them up in butter, I wonder if I couldn’t hybrid the two, and prepare the crabs à la Meunière. Plunged in milk, lightly dredged in flour, seared, and then bathed in that brown butter with just a hint of lemon. Nothing goes better with seafood than melted butter. Lemon brown butter is just that bit more special.

I think I might finally have maman trumped!

Soft-Shell Crab Meunière

serves 2 to 4

INGREDIENTS

4 jumbo soft-shell crabs, prepared by your fishmonger

1/2 cup milk

Kosher salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons butter, divided

1 5/8-inch slice of lemon

Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)

PROCEDURE

Place the crabs in a bowl of milk. Season the flour with the salt and pepper. Lightly dredge the crabs in the seasoned flour.

In a wide skillet, melt two tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Place the other two tablespoons of butter in a small saucepot over medium-low heat. Melt the butter, and then continue to gently cook it until the butter solids turn golden brown. Add in the lemon slice and remove from the heat.

Place the crabs in the skillet with the butter and sauté until golden brown, turning once, about 3 minutes per side. Arrange on a platter, and pour the lemony butter sauce over the crabs. Garnish with parsley and/or extra lemon wedges.

I am having an addiction problem with this slaw. I just can’t get enough.

I’m already a sucker for any kind of Tex-Mex or California slaw. The stuff that’s piled on fish tacos. But this one is smoky, and super spicy. Chipotle peppers, this month’s secret ingredient (I don’t think I’ve EVER been so excited for a secret ingredient), are smoked jalapeños. The way I usually find them, and use them, is packed in a can with adobo, a sauce made from tomatoes, onion, vinegar, paprika, and garlic. The chiles and the sauce are both smoky, deep, rust red, and intensely flavorful. They have that zing from the vinegar in the adobo, the smokiness of the pepper, the richness of paprika and tomato. It’s one-stop shopping.

For this recipe, I took the inspiration of fish taco slaw, and turned up every dial. Starting with purple cabbage, I added fresh cilantro and scallions for freshness and crunch. Lime juice for a tart shot. And most importantly, both fresh jalapeños, and the chipotles with their adobo. The mixture of smoked and fresh chilies make this slaw complexly spicy, and the adobo just makes the whole thing taste south of the border. I serve this slaw instead of cole slaw, piled onto a fish sandwich, or by itself, in warm corn tortillas, as fresh, vegetarian tacos. Delicious.

In a very large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lime juice, chipotle peppers, adobo, sugar, salt, and pepper. Add the cabbage, scallions, jalapeño, and cilantro, and toss to combine. Either serve right away, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

I got a bunch of requests this week for a steak recipe that doesn’t include a grill. A good idea now that we’re seriously out of summer. I love steak, but I won’t be braving the January snows for it.

This recipe could not be easier. I use beef tenderloin tips, which have all the tenderness of filet mignon, with a much lower price. I sear them with a little bit of olive oil and rosemary right on the stove, then finish them up in the oven, and slice. To go with them, white bean mash, flavored with a touch of olive oil, garlic, and more rosemary. So much healthier than mashed potatoes. And, they’re really good, and different, and filling. Consider this my convenient, healthy steak dinner, inspired but a night I spent in Tuscany, at a restaurant I stumbled into. The steak was neared with rosemary, and the beans were cooked with garlic. But you don’t need to book a flight to Italy or fire up a grill to have great Tuscan steak. Trust me!

Tuscan Steak with White Bean Mash

Tuscan Steak with Rosemary White Beans

serves 1 to 2

INGREDIENTS

½ pound beef tenderloin tip

Salt and pepper

2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

1 sprig fresh rosemary, plus ½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

1 15-ounce can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed

2 tablespoons water

PROCEDURE

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Take the meat out of the fridge 15 minutes before you want to use it. Season it with salt and pepper. Add 1 teaspoon olive oil to a sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the rosemary sprig and the beef. Sear the beef 2 minutes on each of the 4 sides. Put the meat in the oven for 6 to 7 minutes, until the internal temperature is 135°F. Allow to rest for 10 minutes on the cutting board, and cut into thick slices.

Meanwhile, in a small saucepot, add the remaining teaspoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and chopped rosemary, and cook until just golden around the edges. Add the beans and water, and season with salt and pepper. Cover, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, until soft.

Discovering eggplant tian is like sending the man you love out for a makeover, and then having him return ten times more handsome than he was to begin with. Eggplant Parm is wonderful. I’ve been eating it since I was six years old. It’s comfortable as flannel pajamas and a DVR on a Friday night. But it’s fattening. It doesn’t look so hot on the plate. And after twenty-two years of devotion, it’s time to spice things up.

Eggplant Tian, my new and improved Eggplant Parm, comes from Provence, the land where eggplant is king. Kind of like our New York-style Eggplant Parm, it is made with slices of eggplant, tomato sauce, and cheese. But instead of being breaded and fried, the eggplant is sweet and softly roasted. Instead of just mozzarella, the tian can be topped with Gruyère or Valbreso or any number of gooey, salty cheeses. And most notably, tians are named for the dishes in which they are baked, round or oval porcelain gratin dishes. Which adds a lot to the look of the dish, turning an Italian takeout classic to an elegant French dinner.

This version has a few steps, but is the easiest way I’ve ever found to make eggplant tian. I roast the eggplant in a vinaigrette of olive oil and garlic (very Provençal) tempered with balsamic vinegar, which sweetens the eggplant as it roasts. Then, into the tian dishes with bought tomato sauce, and a simple topping of fresh mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. A drizzle of pesto or pistou over the top finishes this gorgeous vegetarian main course. And no time is better for eggplant than right now, when they’re dark and sultry and so inviting. Gather ye eggplants while ye may—there’s nothing worse than out-of-season eggplant.

Slice the eggplant into 1/2-inch rounds. Toss the eggplant with the salt in a large colander, and allow to sit and drain in the sink for 30 minutes.

Preheat the boiler. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and pepper. Without rinsing the eggplant, toss them with the vinaigrette, and let marinate for 15 minutes. Arrange the slices in a single layer on a large nonstick baking sheet (you may need to do this in batches). Broil for 12 minutes. Flip the eggplant slices over with a spatula. Broil another 12 minutes.

Heat the oven to 425°F. Place 2 tablespoons of marinara sauce in the bottom of each of 4 round au gratin dishes. Divide the eggplant slices among the 4 dishes. Top each dish with 1/4 cup of marinara sauce. Then divide the mozzarella pieces among the 4 dishes, and finally the Parmigiano Reggiano. Place the gratin dishes on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any spills, and bake for 30 minutes until the marinara sauce is bubbling, and the cheese is melted. Let the tians rest for 10 minutes. Drizzle with pesto sauce, and serve.

I have loved macarons for a really long time. And when I am in Paris, and get the chance to buy the really good ones, I guard them with my life until I get them home, so there are no chips or dents or cracks to mar that magnificent exterior. I guess I feel the same way about my macarons as some people feel about their Bentleys. I don’t want them damaged. Precious goods!

So when I saw that Paul, the French bakery that seems to be suddenly cropping up all over the world, in London was making “macaron frappés,” I obviously had to find out what was going on. Imagine your typical frappé–usually a coffee drink, blended up with ice. Like a coffee slushy. So, it’s kind of like that, but substitute a macaron for the coffee.

First, it starts with a choice. Pistachio, raspberry, chocolate, or vanilla. If that doesn’t slay you where you stand, then they make your frappé. I chose pistachio. So they took a large pistachio macaron and, horror of horrors, stuffed in into the blender! With milk, cream, and tons of ice. As it swirled together, the whole blender turned pale, Easter egg green, and as they poured my frappé into its cup, despite my shattered macaron, I was giddy with anticipation.

I loved it. I’m allergic to coffee, so this was that much more exciting to me. It wasn’t too sweet–the only sweetness coming from the macaron. There was the hint of almond-pistachio flavor, gentle, in a kind of milkshake, but not nearly so cloying or thick as a milkshake. It was cold, and crunchy from the ice, and mild and delicious. Most of all, refreshing. And of course, I loved it all the more for knowing there was a macaron inside.